Gila Bend Mountains Archives – GlassMountains Trip Reports

On Friday, February 16, I met John Ohm and Dave Kohnke in Oro Valley for a climb of Nose Benchmark, a prominent peak north of Gila Bend, Arizona. This would be my second climb of the peak, but the first for them, who were considering proposing it as an addition to the long list of Southern Arizona Hiking Club peaks. Not only would this be a new peak for SAHC, but a new mountain range for SAHC as well, as the peak lies in the Gila Bend Mountains.

Nose Benchmark from the northeast. Our route climbs the steep NE Gully just right of center.

John drove us from Oro Valley to Gila Bend, then north to an unmarked dirt road which we followed to a parking spot below the peak. I had learned two years earlier of this access road from a local farm hand who told me it was the only road open to the public.

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On Saturday morning, November 19, I met Scott Peavy and we drove in to park below Nose Benchmark, a prominent peak in the Gila Bend Mountains north of Gila Bend, Arizona. Nose Benchmark has 1429 feet of topographic prominence, putting it down the list as the 174th most prominent peak in Arizona.

Nose Benchmark from the north. This profile resembles a face, with the summit forming the nose and the chin and throat to the left.

More significantly to me, Nose Benchmark is a notable peak I often see as I bypass Phoenix on AZ Highway 85 either with Linda on our migrations to Tucson or as I pass by exploring other mountains of Arizona. I was glad for the opportunity to share a climb of Nose Benchmark with Scott, who I have climbed with several times over the past several winter seasons in Arizona.

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Nose Benchmark, Arizona, February 2024

Nose Benchmark, Arizona, November 2022